Michael Rodriguez
VP candidate for Non Affiliated (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Scott Ralston Cubbler (b. 1965)
Popular vote: 344 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Scott Cubbler of Houston, Tex. filed with the FEC rather late in the game, Oct. 6, 2016 under the party category of None. His running-mate was Michael Rodriguez of Laguna Hills, Calif. It appears Cubbler had actually started his campaign in Jan. 2016.
A self-identified Evangelical Christian, Cubbler was a former Marine who had worked in the US Dept. of Homeland Security. His main goal was to deny either Trump or Clinton the 270 Electoral votes needed to win and to throw the election into the US House.
His electioneering was chiefly through social media and he posted numerous short pieces on Youtube, but he did receive a little bit of news coverage. Some quotes--
"We need integrity from our political leaders. They should be setting the standard for everything, not constant scandal after scandal after scandal. The election should not be about them. It should be about us."
"My desire is to find a middle ground where we can have reasonable, practical, and positive solutions for whatever issue we are talking about. Red and blue create purple. How can we collaborate and bring the different sides together? Everybody does not have to get their way, but everybody deserves an opportunity to be heard."
"In my mind, if you are going to be the Commander-in-Chief, military experience is one of the things you need to effectively employ troops, and to understand that you are sending men and women into dire straits with some severe consequences. The use of the military is a very serious matter."
"The current environment of constantly berating each other is not becoming to any of us. I did not get into this campaign as a game. I get the fact that this is audacious, but it is possible. If enough folks grab onto what I am trying to do, we can make this happen. Let us take the election back into our hands, instead of leaving it to parties that are just going to tell us what to do."
Cubbler was a registered write-in in Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, and Virginia. The bulk of his popular vote came from the Lone Star State.
Election history: ?
Other occupations: ?
Notes:
Another mystery third party VP.
Cubbler ran for US Congress in Texas in 2018 as an Independent, finishing with 0.70% of the vote.
